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Close to the people

The medicine we want

Sanitas' mission is to care for and improve people's health. Over the years, our company has become a leading healthcare provider in Spain. Since 1989, we have been part of the Bupa group, an international healthcare group operating on every continent.
GRI 3-3

Innovation and technology at the service of people

At Sanitas, we embrace the digital revolution with the confidence that it is an invaluable tool in our pursuit of the highest standards of care. We are committed to a medicine that merges the human and digital elements together to become a whole. Proximity and innovation at its best.

In 2023, our digital health ecosystem, Blua, is transforming once again by pioneering the interconnection of the most advanced artificial intelligence, the latest technology, and of course, our top professionals. This unique combination has allowed us to offer new innovative solutions, such as AI-guided physical therapy or 'Check Your Health,' anticipating our clients' health needs more and more each day. Our vision goes much further, and we will continue to imagine and make our commitment a reality by designing the future of health alongside them.

Ine Snater
Directora de Transformación y Estrategia de Sanitas Bupa Europa & Latinoamérica

Blua: ever-evolving digital health

In 2023, we continued to expand the Blua digital health ecosystem, which provides customers with a more comprehensive experience and access to the most innovative digital healthcare coverage.

We launched Blua Platino, which offers a range of exclusive home services, including lab tests, physiotherapy sessions and the delivery of medicines from the pharmacy.

The following projects were developed within Blua in 2023:

Fisio digital

This service is designed to prevent future injuries and treat symptoms of potential conditions affecting the spine, knees, ankles, hips, shoulders, and other parts of the body. There are AI-guided online groups for preventive exercise, treatment, and physical rehabilitation for customers, with daily sessions supported by our physiotherapists.

From its launch on 1 October 2023 to 31 December 2023, over 1,300 customers actively used the service.

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Evalúa tus síntomas

This virtual medical assistant uses AI to provide online triage and pre-diagnosis services to users. It provides a preliminary evaluation of the potential condition and recommends the most appropriate next steps, including in-person consultation, remote video consultation or immediate referral to emergency care.

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Other Blua services

Cuida tu mente

In the context of growing public awareness of mental health issues in Spain, Cuida tu mente is a pioneering online platform designed to provide a preliminary psychological assessment of patients. This provides a baseline for assessing the user’s emotional state and for considering whether further intervention is needed.

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Monitoriza tu salud

The most effective medicine is the one that acts before the problem even arises. Monitoriza tu salud is our preventive medicine programme. It provides real-time monitoring of the health status of chronic and healthy patients based on a series of indicators, including blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen saturation, weight, glucose, physical activity and sleep quality. Big data and AI applications are used to analyse these parameters and deliver personalised health recommendations.

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Vital signs via face scan

This feature enables users to perform a self-assessment of key health parameters. Monitoring your heart rate, respiratory rate or blood pressure is as simple as looking into your phone camera.

Video consultations are growing in popularity

This increasingly popular method enables us to be more efficient and improve the overall experience of our patients by providing greater convenience, and cutting out the need to travel to the health centre. Video consultations also help to reduce the environmental impact by avoiding unnecessary travel to healthcare centres for consultations that can be done online. To date, digitalisation has prevented the generation of more than 8,000 tons of carbon emissions and more than 175 tons of waste.

Ambulance geolocation

Real-time geolocation tracking: One of the distinctive features of this project is the ability to track emergency resources in real time using geolocation. This provides accurate information on the location of ambulances or medical staff, allowing for more efficient resource management and frequent updates for both HCPs and customers.

Proactive customer communication: The distinguishing feature of this project is its proactive communication with customers. By offering customers the option of tracking the ambulance or medical staff via a mobile app, we can guarantee transparency and keep customers informed about the status and estimated time of arrival of emergency resources.

SPS Programme

Servicio de Promoción de la Salud (Sanitas Health Promotion Service, SPS) is a platform designed to offer care to our customers across multiple channels.

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Figures

GRI 2-6

814,736

video consultations performed in 2023

3,603

specialist doctors providing video consultation services (2,066 at Sanitas Hospitals, 1,427 at partner centres and 154 at SPS) 37 medical specialities

1,090

centres with online appointment scheduling

+3 M

video consultations since Blua was first launched

10

Seconds. One video consultation every 10 seconds

2

seconds. A prescription or report is shared every 2 seconds

Other digital projects

Retenia Project

Retenia is the next stage in the customer retention process, powered by AI. It helps to retain customers by integrating all features into a single interface, which enables more efficient customer management.

1 Millón Project

The 1 MillónProject is designed to provide customers with personalised attention for complex and high-value interactions, while simpler interactions are managed through digital channels.

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By leveraging technology, we can deliver the most personalised, participatory and preventive healthcare solutions ever. The IT department is committed to maintaining a secure, agile, simple and user-friendly technological structure in order to provide a seamless experience for our patients and employees. At Sanitas, we believe that digital tools must be developed with the needs of people in mind, with the aim of improving healthcare management. My team ensures that this is achieved using the highest quality and safety standards.

José Luis Ruiz Revuelta,
Chief Information Officer, Sanitas and Bupa Europe & Latin America

Increasingly digitalised hospitals

Our hospital network is where the best healthcare talent and the most advanced technology come together to provide healthcare excellence.

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Latest digital advancements in our hospital network

01.

Introduction of the ROSA robot

One of the most significant developments of 2023 was the gradual introduction of the ROSA surgical robot for robotic-assisted knee surgery across all our hospitals.

This minimally invasive system enables surgeons to place knee prostheses with greater precision, thereby improving clinical outcomes and the quality of life of patients. Since its introduction, ROSA has been used in more than 60 surgical procedures.

02.

Central lab

A year ago, we inaugurated a state-of-the-art clinical laboratory that serves our entire hospital network. This robotisation has significantly increased the speed of obtaining clinical samples, now reaching a rate of 4,000 per day.

Digitalisation has led to faster diagnosis and treatment, improved patient experience and an overall increase in the quality of the process.

03.

Premium CT Scanner and Open Magnetic Resonance Imaging

The Sanitas Virgen del Mar University Hospital in Madrid has become one of the first hospitals in the world to incorporate the latest and most advanced version of the Philips Incisive CT scanner, a new Premium CT scanner. This hospital also offers an open MRI, which provides greater accessibility for claustrophobic patients, children, and people with mobility issues.

04.

Blua Sanitas Valdebebas Hospital

The external structure of this hospital, which is intended to be our flagship facility and the first fully digital hospital in the country, has already been completed. Once it is operational, this facility will deploy all our digital hospital care capabilities, making it the hospital of the future. It will bring together all the solutions and advances that we have been implementing in recent years with the latest innovations in order to offer a state-of-the-art range of services.

The facility will cover three main areas: hospitals and medical centres, digital health services and home care. Additionally, a fourth level of coordination will be established to streamline the patient experience and the relationship with Sanitas professionals.

Figures

738,341

sole patients treated at Sanitas hospitals

4

hospitals: La Zarzuela, La Moraleja, CIMA and Virgen del Mar, in addition to the Manises Hospital and its health department, as part of a public-private partnership, until May 2024

24

medical centres

9

advanced rehabilitation centres

1

laboratory

65.2%

occupancy rate in hospital wards

Sanitas Dental

We are a leading provider of technology solutions for dental treatments. All our clinics are equipped with the latest technology and the most advanced developments in dental healthcare. Our digital solutions are built on four key principles: customer experience, security, accuracy and transparency.

Creating the digital smile

Our commitment to digital advancement enables us to use state-of-the-art technologies, such as digital milling for dental veneers and robotic surgery.

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Administrative digitalisation

In 2021, we began the process of introducing digital tablets into our facilities with a view to digitising key documents in our daily operations including medical records, informed consents, budgets, treatment plans and radiological tests.

Learn more

Figures

208

dental clinics

2,293,310

customers

40,650

dental video consultations

111,916

digital scans

Care homes, day centres, and home care

Using technology allows us to respond more quickly and efficiently to the needs of a group of people who are very special and important to us, the elderly.

Alexa smart properties for senior living

In 2023, we collaborated with Amazon to implement Alexa Smart Properties for Senior Living across all our facilities. This tool offers residents a range of functionalities using simple voice commands, including information about scheduled activities and medical appointments, music, cognitive stimulation games, and calling relatives.

Vital signs stations

This digital solution enables residents to measure five vital signs at any time and location, and the data is transferred immediately.

Virtual reality room

This virtual room offers residents the opportunity to participate in a range of enjoyable therapies and activities, including diving in the ocean, exploring cities, and visiting the street where they lived.

Market App and messaging

With these new features, residents can access all the extra services they may need with just one click, and improve communication with their families and the medical teams.

 

Blua Senior

This service has been developed with the specific needs of the elderly and their families in mind. It offers access to health plans, unlimited video consultations with Sanitas specialists and the Blua Easy micro-insurance supplement.

Digital signature

We have streamlined the process of welcoming new residents by implementing a digital signature for the admission contract.

Figures

+5,800

residents

630

video calls

43

care homes

21

day centres

4,297

residents' app users (73.9% of residents have at least one family member who uses the app)

Fisio digital

This service also offers the option of an online consultation with a specialist via video link and/or chat for more serious conditions. An AI-powered system monitors patients’ postures during exercise, providing real-time corrective guidance, recording their range of movement and tracking their progress over time.

Evalúa tus síntomas

Two use cases have been launched to date:

  • “Assess your symptoms”, where customers describe their symptoms and answer some questions. We then present them with a list of potential conditions related to their symptoms, along with recommendations for next steps.
  • “Which doctor should I see?”, integrated into the appointment process. It helps customers choose the right specialist based on the symptoms indicated.

In 2023, almost 30,000 customers used the service and made almost 62,000 consultations.

Cuida tu mente

This tool provides access to a wide range of medical psychologists, offering both video consultation and in-person appointments as well as ongoing follow-up and support, under medical supervision. Furthermore, patients have access to a range of self-guided digital therapies and resources that empower them to assume an active and informed role in their own mental health.

In 2023, 13,840 customers actively used Cuida tu mente.

Monitoriza tu salud

Data is collected via wearable devices, such as smartphones, wristbands or smartwatches. Information is available to both customers and our medical team via Mi Sanitas and Sanitas Responde (Sanitas Health Promotion Service), respectively. This allows us to monitor the progression of the condition more effectively and empower people to take an active role in their own health management.

SPS Programme

It is supported by two platforms:

  • On the one hand, 24/7 service: with digital healthcare available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Our team of professionals is ready to respond to any emergency or medical consultation, whether that means prescribing diagnostic tests and treatments or coordinating home care resources such as doctors, nurses, and ambulances.

Video consultations performed: 146,850

  • On the other hand, Sanitas Responde is comprised of a multidisciplinary team, including personal trainers, physiotherapists, nutritionists, psychologists, doctors, nurses and midwives. Our customers can access them via video consultation, chat and telephone, with a wide range of health programmes available, including pregnancy, child health, nutrition and personal trainer services, among others.

No. of queries: 294,150
Digital plans 31,800
Non-digital plans 16,149
Health plans 48,596
On-line workshops 346 / attendees: 19,360
Monitoriza tu salud 18,624 customers
Fisio digital 1,300 customers

1 Millón Project

In 2023, we have been working on the digitisation of the appointment and authorisation processes.

For appointments, when customers contact the Customer Relations Centre (CRC), they can use the virtual assistant to cancel and confirm appointments.

For authorisations, there are two ways to proceed:

  • By scanning a QR code on the medical prescription, which will direct the customer to our virtual assistant to authorise the tests;
  • By SMS, which will be sent to the customer when they contact the CRC to manage the authorisation via our virtual assistant.

Increasingly digitalised hospitals

We have four hospitals: La Zarzuela, La Moraleja, CIMA and Virgen del Mar are first-class in terms of quality of care and digitalisation. Furthermore, the Blua Sanitas Valdebebas Hospital is currently under construction and is scheduled to open in early 2025. Until May 2024, Sanitas also managed the Manises Hospital and its health department as part of a public-private partnership.

Creating the digital smile

Furthermore, the intraoral scanner has become a standard digital procedure that provides a realistic and accurate image of the patient’s mouth without the need to use materials that have a negative environmental impact for generating impressions and prostheses.

These developments result in more predictable, precise and customised treatments for our customers. It also helps us to reduce the production of casts made of polluting materials and indirect emissions from our suppliers.

Administrative digitalisation

The digitisation effort has resulted in more agile, accessible and environmentally-friendly processes.